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DEL.ICIO.US‘We have lost a lot of people’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yusufiyah, Iraq - The Iraqi soldier wears a green mask over his face to work. He reveals only his brown eyes as he mans his checkpoint.
Dozens of Iraqis see Mahmud Abdul Karim when they cross the bridge he guards each day. He dons the mask because he doesn’t want them to recognize him when he goes on leave to his home in Nasiriyah south of here.
Louie Favorite/AJC
An Iraqi soldier mans a checkpoint near Yusafiyah.
Insurgents have killed scores of other Iraqi soldiers for cooperating with the U.S. military. Karim said he knows of at least 70 fellow soldiers who have been killed while on leave.
“We have lost a lot of people,” said Karim, 24, who has served in the Iraqi Army for 15 months. “They stay in the street and wait for us.”
Part of the problem is Iraq’s banking system. It is in disarray, leaving Karim and other Iraqi soldiers with no reliable place to deposit their money.
The soldiers are paid roughly the equivalent of $300 U.S. a month, which is a lot of money in this farming community south of Baghdad. On average, people make $50 a month in this area, according to U.S. soldiers.
The Iraqi soldiers receive their pay in cash. And they carry it with them on leave, sometimes traveling many miles with it. That’s when they face the greatest danger.
To protect themselves, many Iraqi soldiers like Karim wear disguises. Some wear bandanas over their faces. Some wear ski masks with slits for their eyes and mouths.
And when they leave here to visit their families, they shed their uniforms and put on civilian clothes. In some parts of this country, it is still not safe to travel alone in an Iraq Army uniform.
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By Harold Henry
October 31, 2005 10:37 AM | Link to this
What a great article! Jeremy continues to bring context to the role of our brave Georgia soldiers. Six months ago, I wonder if this Iraqi would have been stepping into this tough job. Clearly, the training and support brought to the IA by the 48th have given those soldiers the courage and confidence to step up and control their own country. What a great example of the measureable progress going forward in the Sunni-Triangle. Thank you Jeremy for your courage in writing these types of stories.